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Videte miraculum

Introduction

Vox patris and Videte miraculum (another form, the Respond with its plainsong ‘cantus firmus’ base, now going out of fashion) were almost certainly written in the reign of Mary. Latin was still used for services later, certainly in Elizabeth’s own Chapel Royal, and Latin music published, thanks to the queen’s dispensation of a monopoly, in Tallis and Byrd’s 1575 Cantiones Sacrae. Thus to use the language at all did not in itself imply recusancy, but Mundy may well have retained Catholic sympathies. His early, Marian anthem Exsurge Christe, very unusual for its time in setting non-liturgical words, is a prayer against heresy, and pleads for the confounding of schismatics; his son John, who succeeded Merbecke as organist of St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 1585, wrote an overtly pro-Roman setting of the Lamentations (though not even this would have to imply treason—the queen could describe the Earl of Worcester, one of Byrd’s patrons, as ‘a stiff papist and a good subject’).

Recordings

'For a wallow in the richest cream of English Reformation church music you couldn't do much better than this' (Early Music Review)'Intense brilliance and utter serenity … altogether glorious' (The Times)» More

When The Sixteen embarked upon their recording career back in 1982, few would have been able to predict quite how far they would go towards rehabilitating the little-known music of these four master composers of the 16th century. In this their 30t ...» More

Behold the miracle of the Lord’s mother: The virgin conceived unacquainted with man: Mary heavy with her noble burden: Pure, she realizes she is a joyful mother.

She conceived in her chaste womb him who is beautiful the sons of men, and this blessed lady bore for us him who is above all both eternal God and man. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.